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When a child actress is called a vile name by an long-running satire site, a beautiful young singer is labeled a stoner for wearing dreadlocks and a phenomenal 13-year old-female athlete is called a slut, they deserve more than a canned, robotic mea culpa.

It feels like Hollywood is finally starting to get what so many of us knew all along; audiences want to see diversity. Yet somehow, at this exciting moment of progress for the industry, Deadline Hollywood found it appropriate to publish what can only be described as a call for regression.

John's life has a lesson for us today. His struggle -- our struggle -- for a just society, for true equality and respect -- is not over. Far from it. All we have to look at is the widespread assault on the Voting Rights Act today. But like him, we cannot walk away; we cannot give up.

There's nothing to be happy about -- no feel-good takeaways -- when a middle school girl gets insulted by a man and has to speak up for him so he can continue a baseball career no one gives a fuck about. She is not supposed to be anyone's savior or protector. We need to be saving and protecting her.

Channeling the revolutionary essence of the Harlem Renaisance, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly is a gripping, soul-driven melodrama that masterfully depicts the story of a courageous young man fighting through the painful process of liberating himself.

In our everyday fights to silence the racist chants of misguided college students and stifle overaggressive police who racially profile black children, we must reach the finish line. The next generation should never have to question whether their lives matter.

Despite past voting obstacles, there are compelling reasons for blacks in Ferguson to rush to barricades this time to vote. One is the prospect of a regime change. Another is they could move to dump the racket that city officials have run for years that criminalizes virtually the city entire black population. Another is there's no excuse.

The n-word has the blood of thousands of lynchings, beatings, and other horrific crimes melded between its letters, meshed in its very fibers. So, why do some white people want the right to use this abhorrent word again?

I was running errands with my youngest two children in tow when an acquaintance of ours spotted us and came over to say hello. She looked at my son, marveling over how much he had grown.
"Yes," I smiled, "He's a big boy!" She replied, "Such a cute little thug." My son is 2 years old.

While we applaud Starbucks for their effort to engage a topic that many seek to avoid, and while their efforts seem well-intentioned, we, as a national racial justice organization, with a name similar to the hashtag used in the campaign feel compelled to say: as a nation, we need more.

Funding for school policing programs has expanded and more school-based police are being armed with the same weapons cops carry on the streets. This expansion has not come with significant strings attached or proper guidelines.

With all due respect to Pastors Creflo and Taffi, instead of wasting community funds on frivolous expenses like a Gulfstream G650, maybe you should spend more time reaching out to the community in order to understand what they need, and how you can use your ministry to support them!

I have benefitted from black gay privilege throughout my career as a senior human resources, financial and diversity officer. I have accessed spaces and opportunities that "stereotypical" black men were not able to access.

Until the age of 16 swimming was something that took over my life; between two-a-day practices, traveling for competitions, and supporting teammates, my time was mostly spent in the pool or cheering right next to it.

Last week, the Presidents and Deans of America's 13 United Methodist Seminaries -- representing over 5,000 seminarians, including over 1,000 African-Americans -- wrote a thoughtful open letter outlining a vision from which all of us, whatever our faith tradition, can learn.

After being asked by a fan about her response to the controversial clip, the actress opened up about her own abusive past, and revealed a heartbreaking parallel between the video's story and her own: namely, that she, too, once tried to shoot the man who raped her.

In particular, hers.

The topic came up last week, when Union was soliciting ideas from her followers on how to better combat violence against women and kids. When a fan asked her what she thought of the Rihanna video, the 38-year-old star responded with unexpected honesty and candor.

"I haven't seen it yet," she tweeted. "I'll let everyone know my thoughts on it when I do."

A few days later, she had.

"Saw 'Man Down' by @rihanna. Every victim/survivor of rape is unique, including how they THINK they'd like justice 2 be handed out," she tweeted.

By: Clinesha18 on 6/10/2011 8:35AM

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Begging your pardon, but it is you who is ignorant. Ignorant to the fact that DumbPiece came at me first. And I read these bloggs all the time and that Piece is crittical of EVERY fuggin' body on this b*tch and has the nerve to preach about having a relationship with God.

But she will gossip and judge and use curse words just like the rest of us sinners. She so desparte for a friend on here, even a stranger that she's all"Heeyyyy" with the kiss ass. And you fell for it. If you have any sense, you'll see how stupid her comments are, ALWAYS.

By: "DimePiece" on 6/10/2011 9:07AM

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So "Cline CAN'T GET RIGHT", you can suck on a bag of lemons and kiss my azz! Yeah damn right I replied to your stupid behind because, there has been many of times your azz replied to my comments. I would have totally ignored your azz but you said something real IGNORANT by putting others up on here that disagreed with the video and message saying that WE ARE JUST LIKE THE RAPIST! Think before you post your dumb ISH. It's not too late to make that call and set up an appointment to see a PROFESSIONAL!GET YOUR ISH TOGETHER & GROW UP! :-(

Don't reply! But you know what, your stupid behind will like a JACKAL! I am going to keep it movin because you are a waste of my time. :-(GAME OVER, NEXT...........

By: "DimePiece" on 6/10/2011 9:12AM

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My friends up on here are REAL unlike your fake azz wanna-be Ms. Sunshine Ms. GOODY-TWO SHOES up on here. Not my fault you don't have any? Look who is the CELEB AZZ KISSER, thinking she going to get a concert tickets, CD'S, ect... because she agrees with Celebs especially Ri, thinking she will get notice up on here? CHILD PULEEEEEEZ! Sit yo azz down some where!

What you need to do is to STOP throwin the name of the "Scriptures" along with Hateful ISH up on here! You are the Hypocrite, sweetheart calling me "DimePiece of **IT? I am afraid, the next time you will throw a HEX or some WITHCRAFT out my way? I'm not with that. I knew I could sense a bad evil VIBE before I got on the computer. Please don't pick a Bible up next time, it might burn in ya hands. This is ENTERTAINMENT, and I don't if you think you follow me so well, don't spell out my words correctly. I didn't think Damn or Hell was a bad word? I never called anybody up on here out of their NAME! I am a good role model to my children, grown woman, and never used cuss words towards are around my children. SO SAVE IT! Until you have children, don't you tell me what I am not doing right, because you don't know a damn about me, BOO BOO! If you do have children (oh lawd?), hopefully they won't grow up to be like YOU! :-( You don't have a CLUE?

So "Cline CAN'T GET RIGHT", you can suck on a bag of lemons and kiss my azz! Yeah damn right I replied to your stupid behind because, there has been many of times your azz replied to my comments. I would have totally ignored your azz but you said something real IGNORANT by putting others up on here that disagreed with the video and message saying that WE ARE JUST LIKE THE RAPIST! Think before you post your dumb ISH. It's not too late to make that call and set up an appointment to see a PROFESSIONAL!GET YOUR ISH TOGETHER & GROW UP! :-(

Don't reply! But you know what, your stupid behind will like a JACKAL! I am going to keep it movin because you are a waste of my time. :-(GAME OVER, NEXT...........

By: Clinesha18 on 6/10/2011 9:25AM

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Now I know I have to stop after this. My memory is pretty good and besides this article, I have only responded to you ONCE in my life and it was to laugh at something you said that one time. But all of your comments before that one and since then have been ignorant, unintelligent rants that I just refused to comment because THIS is how you act. At that time, I thought if I laughed, you would lighten up. Silly of me.

By: "DimePiece" on 6/10/2011 11:41AM

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That is so silly thinking you would go a long with and laugh to hope you could change MY way of making comment so that I would lighten up? I guess we are feeling some kind of way? Like I said, if you laughed and made comment that time, you would have right then, said how you felt about my comment and wouldn't have laughed? That right there to me is just a LIE. Nobody up on here is right or wrong. This is Entertainment. I don't have to like every Black Celeb, Singer, ect.. BV Posts up on here if it doesn't represent me.

I didn't know that there are people like you who are not truthful and switch up at times. The comments that I make on here is to be funny and how I feel and doesn't mean that my comments are unintelligent,hateful, and ignorant. Everything I say is intelligent and the truth. Once again, that comment about me was ignorant. I can talk about your replies to another person saying how stupid they were? It is what it is. I really don't care what ya think. You have to think before you post in saying things like that on here that might offend others. That was harsh and that's why I said what I said.

No need to say good-bye to me. I will still continue making comments on here and express how I feel. I'm sure the people that know me here on the blogs will continue to laugh along with me and not at me. You are not hurting my feelings and ain't no loss here, believe me.

By: valerie denise jones on 6/14/2011 12:18PM

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I've been there. I wanted to hurt/kill the person who attacked (violated me). My faith in God (Romans 12:19) and my skills as an editor (http://youtu.be/NygRpBOmu-Q )... kept me from doing something I might later regret. -- I agree with Gabrielle Union, though.